Originally Posted by
TimothyH
I'm interested in hearing about technique in general from experienced bikepackers.
My specific interest is efficient setup in the evening and teardown in the morning. One challenge has been too much time spent packing up in the morning with a myriad of stuff sacks, dirty tent stakes, filtering water for the day and where did that darn bag with toothbrush go?
Obvious things like not putting items needed first all the way at the bottom of a saddle bag are learned early. I've also learned to pack the tent, rain fly and footprint into the stuff sack oriented so that the end to be staked out first is deployed first.
What else? Cooking efficiently? Filtration - as soon as you arrive or later? Drying out clothes? Packing saddle and bar bags when there is no place to lean the bike - remove the bags from the bike?
Anything at all to make things more time efficient would be helpful and I'd be open to suggestions about technique in general from experienced bikepackers.
-Tim-
I've been in the outdoors my whole life and have picked up a couple of habits along the way.
One is that I put things away after I use them and clean up as I go. Other people look like their panniers exploded all over the camp. In the morning it's just a matter of dressing, packing up my bag, mat and tent and going. This isn't just camping though. I also dive and have the same systematic approach for gear there as well.
Specifically, I have my riding clothes beside me in the tent and dress sitting up while in the bag. While on it, I open the valve for my mat so it deflates. Then I get out of the bag and stuff it into its compression sack. Then I roll up my mat. Then I open the tent and get out, take the fly off, reach in and remove my bag mat and panniers and break down the tent. Done.
Another thing is having a place for everything (and everything in it's place). A bit OCD perhaps but I really don't have to think about where something is or where it goes. I could locate my whole kit with my eyes closed.
Last is keeping breakfast simple. That's just my thing but I want to get going in the morning and would rather relax at the end of the day, so I leave fancy cooking for then. If I cook at all breakfast is boiling water and adding it to instant coffee/hot chocolate and a sandwich bag of quick oatmeal. I make up the baggies ahead of time and add whatever I want like brown sugar raisins etc... While it expands (about 5 minutes or so) I pack up the cooker, do toiletry stuff and then drink and rinse my cup and eat the oatmeal out of the baggie by biting an end off and squeezing it out. No dishes to wash. YMMV of course but I'm almost always solo so no one is there to award style points anyway
